Development of a novel chemical cleaning process for membrane-based water treatme

该博士项目的目标是开发用于膜基水处理的高效和可持续的化学清洁剂。该项目将与总部位于加拉希尔斯的水质工程公司Panton McLeod Ltd（PM）合作执行。具体目标是：1）开发定制用于从用于水和废水处理的聚合物膜去除污垢层的酸基制剂。我们将调查在苏格兰和北方英格兰的水资源中常见的污垢的清洁（例如富腐殖酸和腐殖酸丰富的天然有机物、Mn、Fe）2）研究膜材料中化学清洗的功效（例如聚酰胺、PVDF、醋酸纤维素），涵盖广泛的膜应用（例如超滤、纳滤、反渗透）。3）表征定期化学清洗对长期膜渗透性/选择性和材料特性的影响（如渗透性、截留率、截留分子量、亲水性）。符合EPSRC的战略重点。由于目前在水资源管理和供应方面存在的挑战，EPSRC已将水工程研究领域确定为优先领域，该项目完全适合。水是英国经济上的重要领域，EPSRC在这一主题上有相当多的资助研究。目前的水工程投资组合包括37笔赠款，总价值为4700万英镑。

The objective of this PhD project is to develop efficient and sustainable chemical cleaning agents for membrane-based water treatment. The project will be executed in partnership with Panton McLeod Ltd (PM), a water quality engineering company based in Galashiels. The specific goals are:1) To develop acid-based formulations tailored for removal of foulant layers from polymeric membranes for water and wastewater treatment. We will investigate cleaning of foulants commonly found in water resources in Scotland and Northern England (e.g. fulvic and humic acid-rich natural organic matter, Mn, Fe) 2) To investigate the efficacy of chemical cleaning in membrane materials (e.g. polyamide, PVDF, cellulose acetate) spanning a wide range of membrane applications (e.g. ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis).3) To characterize the effect of regular chemical cleaning on the long term membrane permeability/selectivity and material properties (e.g. permeability, rejection, molecular weight cut-off, hydrophilicity).Fit to EPSRC Strategic Priorities. Due to the current challenges presented in water management and provision, EPSRC has identified Water Engineering research area as a priority area, in which this project fits perfectly. Water is an economically important area to the UK, and EPSRC has a considerable body of funded research in this theme. The current portfolio for Water Engineering comprises 37 grants of total value £47M.